


The Road Ahead

by BlackRoseWorks



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Cuddling, F/M, Family, Father/Son, Gay, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Assault, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reaper - Freeform, Reaper76 - Freeform, Soldier76 - Freeform, gabriel reyes - Freeform, lots of gay, mentions of noncon/sexual assault, soldier:76 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:26:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27372655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackRoseWorks/pseuds/BlackRoseWorks
Summary: Gabriel Reyes had finally retired and decided to settle down in a nice rural home with his husband Jack in Indiana. The two led a quiet, uneventful existence; that is until a very important hitch hiker makes his debut. Gabriel learns that his life had been far more impactful than he realized, and he must attempt to make up for 18 years of absence while he learns himself what it means to be a dad.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Comments: 18
Kudos: 21





	1. Passenger

**Trigger Warning: Implied Sexual Assault**

Tired blue eyes strained to make out the white and yellow lines on the endless stretch of asphalt ahead as Jack Morrison-Reyes drummed his fingers against the steering wheel in an attempt to keep himself focused. The long drive home was the worst part of his day. Gabe had just _insisted_ on getting a house in the middle of nowhere, saying something about how it would be harder for people to bother him when there wasn’t anybody around. Jack told him he sounded like a crotchety old man. Gabe told him to fuck off.

  
“Just a couple more miles and you’re back at home,” he promised himself quietly. 

Jack’s eyes strayed from the road for a moment to glance at a photo he’d shut in the sun visor a year or so ago. It was one of the first vacations the couple had together in a long time, and even without the looming danger of a possible attack, as well as plenty of booze, Gabe had found plenty of things to complain about. At first Jack thought it was annoying, listening to Gabe find faults in every aspect of their hotel room. Then he thought about how much Gabe sounded like a cranky old bastard, and he found it too funny to stay mad at him.

  
His reminiscing was interrupted by a sight he hadn’t seen on his route home before (though he could have easily missed these types of things considering he was barely able to keep his eyes open). There was a figure walking along the side of the road, their thumb hopelessly outstretched to one side with their other hand clinging to one of the straps of their giant backpack. If Jack hadn’t been awake before, he certainly was now. He found himself focusing more on the stranger than the road, more of their features coming into focus as the car drew closer. 

  
Jack felt his foot lightening on the gas as he neared them, to a point where the car was slow enough that they could walk alongside it when he got close. Normally, he didn’t think twice about hitchhikers; he’d drive right past them and pretend he couldn’t see them. ‘You can never be too careful’, Gabe would always say. 

  
But Gabe wasn’t here now, and Jack was the all-American boy next door who just had to play hero. He rolled down the passenger side window, and the stranger looked into his car from a distance. Now that Jack was so close, he could get a good look. It seemed like a man at first glance, what with the broader shoulders and the stronger jawline. The hitchhiker's brown eyes were looking over Jack suspiciously, trying to judge if he was a safe ride. Jack took a better look at him, and came to a startling realization. The lanky figure, the face free of any wrinkles or stress, the curious eyes. This wasn’t a man, this was a fucking kid. He couldn’t leave him stranded here…

  
“Where ya headed?” Jack asked him. 

  
“Oh, I really don’t know, honestly,” the boy laughed nervously and reached up to scratch his head under his mustard yellow beanie. “Just the nearest hotel, I’ll figure it out when I get there.”

  
“I’ll take you,” he offered quickly.

  
“Oh damn, really? Thanks, man!” 

  
Jack finally pulled the car to a full stop on the gravel shoulder and turned his attention back towards the road as he heard the door of his car open and shut, as well as the jingle of his new passenger’s bag and belt chain. Once he heard the click of the seatbelt, he turned the tires back to the road and the car returned to it’s route again.

“How old are you?” Jack asked the moment they started moving.

  
“I’m 18, don’t worry, you’re not catching any charges. I’m Carlos,” he greeted. With his introduction finished, he started rifling through his bag that he’d set in his lap. He threw a comb and a bag of toiletries on the floor during his search. Jack figured he must have been on the road for some time. 

  
“Jack…” the veteran said apprehensively. “You lookin’ for somethin’?”

  
“Money,” Carlos stated simply. “How much are you charging?”

  
“I’m not.”

  
“Oh thank god!” he let out a relieved sigh and set his bag back down between his feet on the floor, as well as returning the comb and other grooming products to their respective pockets. He slumped back into the seat, practically melted into it, his head falling back and landing against the headrest. “I haven’t got very much left.”

  
“How long have you been out here for?” Jack asked, feeling himself growing more concerned for Carlos the longer he talked. 

  
“Oh I don’t know, I haven’t really been keeping track of time. I’ve been in so many different cars I’ve lost count. I’ve come across all sorts of assholes on my way, too. One creep drove me fifteen miles in the wrong direction as soon as he found out I wasn’t a truckstop hook up.”

  
Jack’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists around the steering wheel, his teeth grinding just slightly. Shit like that just made his skin crawl. He found immense, relaxing satisfaction in thinking of all the different ways his husband would have beat that guy’s miserable ass into the concrete. 

  
“What are you looking for, out here, anyways? It seems kind of strange for someone your age to be wandering the roads.”

  
“Funny you should ask! It’s an interesting story.” Carlos smiled and watched the fields fly by his window. “I’m looking for my dad.”

  
The soldier’s stomach churned.

  
“What uh...what happened to him?”

  
“I really don’t know, I might be out here chasing ghosts for all I can tell. I’ve never actually met him, it’s just been me and my mom for my whole life. She didn’t want to say shit about who he was, I finally managed to squeeze his name out of her a few days before I turned sixteen. After that I got a job and I didn’t spend a penny of my paycheck, I saved until I turned eighteen. I told myself I was gonna find him,” Carlos explained. 

  
“Have you ever gotten anything from him? Birthday cards or anything like that?” Jack asked, finding his voice going softer and softer the longer he spoke with him. This was a sensitive conversation he hadn’t expected, and he was doing his best to tread lightly. 

  
“No…” For the first time since the ride began, Carlos sounded disheartened, sad even. “Mom told me just didn’t care…”

  
_So why the hell do you think he wants to meet you?_ Jack wanted to ask him. _Why are you risking your life on the road when you don’t even know if he cares?_ But he refrained. He wanted this kid to get some sort of good out of this trip if he’d really been saving up and planning for it for two years..

  
“I hope you find him,” is what Jack said instead.

“Enough about me,” Carlos said in a surprisingly cheerful tone. “What’s an old man like you doing out here so late?”

“Coming home from work,” Jack rolled his eyes a bit, but he cracked a small smile. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being called an old man, but he knew Carlos had meant well by it. 

“What do you do?”  
  


“Construction.”

“You like it?”

“I like paying bills.” It wasn’t the answer Carlos was looking for, but it was the answer he was going to get.

“What did you do, then? When you worked?” Jack prodded. 

“Washed dishes and waited tables in a diner near my house. I managed to squeeze some good tips out of people, what with my gorgeous face and impeccable charm.”

Jack laughed and shook his head. This kid was such a little shit, but he had to hand it to him; he worked pretty damn hard. It reminded the soldier a bit of himself when he was that age. 

“How were your days as a youngun, then, old man?” Carlos teased.

“Would you quit callin’ me old? I lived on a family farm in Bloomington, joined the military as soon as I turned 18. I got a really good position while I was there, too.” He pulled the dog tags out from under his t-shirt, as if to prove it. “Of course, I’m retired now, what with how _old_ I am.” 

Carlos snickered at him. 

“Military, huh? I’ve thought about doing that, don’t exactly have the muscle for it though, do I? Not like Mr. Booming Biceps over here.”

Jack gave the kid a light smack on the shoulder, and Carlos let out a sort of snort. This was one of the most enjoyable and least terrifying rides he’d had so far. It was at least better than the trucker.

“You said you got his name, right? What is it, maybe I know him?” Back on the ‘dad’ subject. It had just been gnawing at Jack, the way this kid was making such an effort for someone who never sent him a damn letter. He knew there was a good chance he didn’t know his dad, but he wanted to help if it was possible. It earned him the biggest smile of the trip. 

  
“Gabriel Reyes.”

  
The name that Jack was so familiar with hit him like a brick. He felt as if his insides were caught in a vice all of the sudden and his eyes shot wide open. This...this had to be a coincidence. The kid had just said _his husband’s_ name!

“You don’t say…”

  
“You know him?!” Carlos squeaked excitedly. “Do you know where he lives?”

“I know him alright. He’s my husband. He lives with me.”

The mood of the car shifted from light hearted and funny to tense and strained. There was no more laughing, only thoughtful silence.

“Is that him..?” Carlos asked quietly, almost carefully, as he pointed to the photo Jack had reminisced over earlier. 

“Sure is.”

Jack suddenly realized how close he was to home. He could see the faint outline of the house up ahead, and soon he’d be pulling into their gravel driveway. Gabe would be waiting for him on the couch with a beer in hand, probably make some comment about how tired he looked, and they’d have dinner and go to bed. That was how it had been before, and that was how it was supposed to be tonight. This was going to change things. He couldn’t just drop the kid off and never speak to him again, not after he just revealed that he married his long lost father.

“Change of plans. I’m not dropping you off at the hotel.”

“Y-you’re not?” Carlos’s voice hitched, there was a sudden sense of panic about him. “Look, I didn’t mean to make things weird, you asked what his name was and I told you! I don’t want to mess anything up between the two of you, just take me to the hotel and I’ll figure it out-”

Jack put a hand up to stop him from rambling. He could have worded that better, he hadn’t meant for the kid to freak out on him like that. 

  
“I’m taking you to our house. If there really is a chance that Gabe’s your dad then it’s easier for you. Besides, it’s not like you’re gonna have to check our guest bedroom for bed bugs like you would at that dusty hotel...”

Gabe was going to kill him. Without any sort of warning, Jack was bringing a complete stranger into their home that he picked up off the side of the road because he claimed that the man was his father.

“I-” Carlos thought about his next word choice carefully, considering where his previous words had just gotten him. He struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. “Thank you, sir... I really appreciate it.”

“I told you, my name’s Jack.”


	2. Introductions

Gabriel Reyes had sprawled himself out on the olive brown couch with his favorite telenovela on the flat-screen and a bowl of fresh buttered popcorn as he patiently awaited his husband’s return home from work. He couldn’t exactly get a job himself, it wouldn’t be pleasant if someone recognized him, so a majority of his time was spent lounging around the house. 

Though some might have been envious of Gabe for not having to work during the week, there were times he felt as if he was a mad animal in a cage. He didn’t have anywhere to go or anyone to talk to during the day. The only truly exciting thing he could do during the day was take his pistol shotguns out to the yard for a little bit of fresh air and target practice, and even _that_ was starting to get old. 

He couldn’t believe retired life was so _boring_. 

Thankfully, he didn’t have to dwell on how infinitely dull his routine was for much longer. He could hear the heavenly scratch of his husband’s tires in their gravel driveway. Like a dog awaiting his owner’s return, Gabe turned his attention towards the door. He could hear the distinct clunking of Jack’s work boots on the porch, and he could have sworn he heard a second set of footsteps alongside them. He shook it off. 

The doorknob turned and the front door swung open. 

  
“Welcome back, _cariño_ ,” Gabe welcomed as he stood up from the couch to greet his husband, only to find that it was not just him standing there. There was a second person next to Jack in baggy dark clothing, nearly as tall as him if not taller, with an oversized camo backpack slung over one shoulder and a mustard yellow beanie hiding all but his chocolate brown bangs. Gabe didn’t recognize this guy. Why could Jack have brought him home?

“Who the hell is this?”

Now that Jack saw the two in the same room, he could clearly see the startling resemblance between them. They had the same chestnut eyes and unkempt dark locks, though Gabe had grown his out a bit, the same golden skin. Jack even noticed similarities in the less obvious things like the arch of their eyebrows and the shape of their nose.

“Gabriel Reyes?” Carlos whispered.

“How the hell do you know my name?” Gabe growled suspiciously, his curiosity now paired with caution. He had always been wary of strangers, that was just how he was. But this was a stranger who knew his name and, now, where he lived. 

  
“My name is Carlos,” the boy explained.“I’m your son.”

_No_ , he thought. That couldn’t be right. Gabriel didn’t have any children, the thought had never even crossed his mind. If he had kids, he would have known about them, he would have known they existed. He’d never seen this boy before in all his life. 

“I don’t think-”

“Carlos,” Jack interrupted as he turned to their new guest, “why don’t you run your bag upstairs and get comfortable? That room hasn’t been used in a while, but it’s still clean. It’ll be last door on your right.” 

“Oh, yeah, alright. Thank you s- I mean- Jack.”

Carlos gave Jack a sort of nod, readjusted the strap of his bag, and stepped carefully between the two men before he scurried up the stairs. Gabe turned to Jack and shook his head, bewildered. He was certain that it would just be him and Jack from here on out. He didn’t believe that he had a son, he _couldn’t_ believe it. 

“That can’t be my kid,” he stated simply. 

“You’re joking, right?” Jack folded his arms over his chest and raised one of his eyebrows. Did Gabe even _see_ the damn kid?

“Of course I’m not, Jack!” Gabe snapped. 

“And why can’t he be?” asked. This was more annoying than infuriating for him. Really, was it so impossible to think that perhaps he wasn’t the safest with a woman he met before Jack 18 years ago? This was Gabriel Reyes. 

“ _Jack, I have never seen him before in my life!_ I’ve never even heard of him before today!”

“Maybe his mom just couldn’t get a hold of you. You _were_ moving around for a while there.” 

“ _Or,_ ” Gabe insisted, “he’s got the wrong guy. I can’t be the only guy in the country with the name Gabriel Reyes.”

“Oh please, it’s like looking in a mirror with the two of you. He looks just like you when you were younger, he just doesn’t have the beard and his hair’s a bit longer,” Jack told him. “Even if there _are_ a hundred Gabriel Reyes’s out there, he’s got the right one.”

“It’s _impossible_ , Jack!” Gabriel pleaded. He wasn’t exactly sure of who was trying to convince, his husband or himself. 

“You’re telling me that I am the _only_ person you’ve ever been intimate with in your whole life?”

“I didn’t say that-” Gabe interjected.  
  
“Ah, so you’ve just never been intimate with a woman then?”  
  


“Well-”  
  


“So you have been with a woman. Surely you took precautions every time you got needy, if you’re so certain.” Jack pushed. 

“No, but-”  
  


“Well then there you go!” Jack said as he threw his hands up in the air, “You’ve had unprotected sex with women before, and now someone who _almost_ _exactly_ like you shows up and says he’s your child. It doesn’t seem all that improbable, does it?” Gabe had gotten Jack so caught up in explaining the obvious that he hadn’t even gotten the chance to take off his boots, and so he kneeled down and set to work untying them now that he had a moment of peace.

“I-” 

“Are you finished, _Gabriel?_ ” Jack asked. As far as he was concerned, enough had been said, and the other man had some thinking to do.  
  
Gabe didn’t even try to formulate a response. He didn’t like the way his full name sounded coming out of Jack’s mouth, at least not in that tone of voice. 

“Alrighty then,” Jack said matter-of-factly as he kicked his untied boots off at the door. “Work was an absolute fucking nightmare today, and my ride home was rather eventful, so I’m going to bed.”

With that, Jack made the call that this conversation was over and dragged his tired old ass up the stairs so he could lay down and be done for the night. He loved Gabe, but he was a stubborn bastard if ever there was one. Sometimes it was worse than talking to a brick wall. 

“This doesn’t make you right!” Gabe called after him after he was practically at the top.

  
“It absolutely does!”


	3. Whispers

Jack was muttering and mumbling to himself for the entire journey up the stairs. Perhaps he was a bit quick to believe Carlos's story, but it wasn't like this was the most outlandish idea in the world. Gabe wasn’t the purest of men, and the odds that he had a son somewhere he wasn’t aware of were higher than they would be for most people. 

As he neared the master bedroom, the last door on the left, Jack couldn’t help but wonder if Carlos had fallen asleep for the night. He assumed he must have as there wasn’t a sound coming from the guest room. The soldier slowly turned knob of the door to the right, not wanting to make too much noise, and pushed open the door just enough to look into the bedroom.  
  


The room hadn’t been touched in ages, and as neither Jack nor Gabriel had any sense of interior design, there wasn’t very much in it. There was the basic furniture; an oak dresser with a mirror on the wall above it, a queen sized bed with navy sheets pushed in the middle of one of the walls, and a little end table to the left of it (there wasn't much need for any other furniture, they didn't have guests often). Carlos had indeed fallen asleep, and he must have passed out as soon as he hit the bed because he hadn’t gotten under the covers or even changed his clothes. Jack guessed it must have been the most comfortable the boy had been in a while.

Carefully and quietly, he crept towards the bed and grabbed the fuzzy throw blanket that had been draped haphazardly over the end of it (Gabe's attempt at decorating; it was at least something). He unfolded the black fleece and draped it gently over their snoozing house guest. Carlos shifted slightly, but thankfully for Jack, he remained asleep.

  
_Poor kid,_ he thought. 

Sixteen. Carlos had worked his ass off since he was sixteen years old, all just so he could run off with a backpack the moment he turned eighteen and find a father that he had been told wanted nothing to do with him. How long had he been wandering around like this? Had he even told his mother what he was planning to do, where he was going? She had to have been worried sick. He hoped Carlos would call her when he got a chance. 

The kid had worked so hard, and Gabriel had denied him because it “just wasn’t possible.” How heartbroken would Carlos have been if he'd heard Gabriel being so adamant about not being the father. Even though Jack was sure that, had he been in his husband’s position, he would have reacted the same way, that didn’t make him feel any better about it. 

Once he was satisfied that Carlos would be warm enough for the night, Jack left the guest bedroom and walked across the hallway to his own so he could finally go to bed. He stripped down from his work clothes and threw them into the hamper before he crawled under the comforter and closed his eyes. 

It was maybe another hour before Gabriel ended up going upstairs. The stubborn bastard wasn’t ready to admit that he was wrong and that perhaps there _was_ a chance that he was a father. It wasn’t exactly an easy thing to come to terms with. He'd practically been a lone wolf for most of his life, only now had he finally decided to settle down, and all of the sudden he had a son? It just seemed impossible, or at the very least a stretch. 

Still, he found h couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty as he tried to finish his episode. Jack had been complaining about how difficult work had been all week, and this sudden hiccup probably wasn't making him feel any better. 

Gabe would just have to suck it up and apologize.

He stood up from the couch and turned off the tv, deciding he would finish his show another time. He set his now empty bowl in the kitchen sink and made his way around to all the lights downstairs to make sure they were all off, as well as locking the front door; he’d had enough unexpected guests for the night. 

With all said and done, he finally made his way up the stairs and wandered down the hallway. By the time he had reached the master bedroom door, which had purposefully been left open, Jack was already perfectly comfortable in bed and facing away from the doorway. Gabe assumed Jack was asleep, but there was only one surefire way to find out. 

“ _Jackie~_ ” he cooed softly as he leaned against the door frame and waited. 

The silver haired man stirred ever so slightly, and Gabe took that as a sign that he was awake. It never mattered how frustrated or angry Jack was with him, there were a few pet names that always sent shivers down his spine. He decided to try out another one. 

“ _Cariño~_ ” he whispered. 

Jack stirred again, obviously trying his hardest not to roll over and greet his husband. Gabe decided that Jack wasn’t upset enough to send him to sleep on the couch, so he threw his sweatshirt onto the floor and kicked his sweatpants off alongside them before he crawled under the blankets behind the other man. 

“Are you finally done pouting?” Jack teased.

“Maybe,” Gabe responded quietly. 

Jack laughed, and Gabe took that as his cue. He inched closer to the other man and snuck his arms around his waist, kissing the back of his neck and shoulders and earning him a happy sigh.

  
  
“I’m sorry you’ve had a tough week,” he whispered apologetically into Jack’s porcelain skin. The younger man finally allowed himself to roll over and raised up one of his eyebrows, clearly wanting a bit more of an apology than that. 

“And?” Jack pushed.

  
  
“And...I suppose it isn’t _completely_ impossible that I had a child at some point...it’s just...incredibly unlikely..” Gabriel admitted.

“Good enough,” Jack gave him a smile. It was nearly impossible to get Gabe to admit when he was wrong, so he was pretty happy he even managed to get that response. Satisfied with the absence of guilt, Gabe moved to hover over him and placed a happy kiss on his lips before he set to work peppering the rest of his scarred face. 

“I love you you big idiot,” Jack cooed adoringly. 

“I love you too, Jackie."

**Author's Note:**

> Thankyou for reading my story! Kudos are appreciated <3!


End file.
